To Play a Part
by Angeles
Summary: A different take on Petunia Dursley. It's hard to explain, but I'll try. What happens when an actress becomes to involved in a part?


Hopefully something different. I can't really explain it except that Petunia haters should leave and Vernon and Dudley haters should stay.  
  
I have two versions of this story, this is the easier one to write, but I might write the second later on. I'm not sure yet.  
  
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Petunia Dursley started her day as normally as possible considering her unusual circumstances. She got out of bed and made herself as ready as she could be while thanking whomever was listening that her husband was such a sound sleeper. Probably one of his few good qualities. After sufficiently preparing herself, she went to her nephew's door and loudly told him to get up.  
  
Ever since he had returned from school, Harry had been listless and tired. He followed orders without comment and his eyes didn't show the normal spark of life they did when he normally returned from school. His eyes. Petunia thought, Lily's eyes. She was worried for the only remnant of her sister left, though she would never tell her family that.  
  
She had started making some low fat pancakes when he entered. Harry took over the task of making them without his aunt even asking him to. Petunia set about chopping an apple up and retrieved plates for her family. She set the table herself instead of making Harry do it. She had just finished when her son entered the room. "How's my little duddykins today?' She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.  
  
"I'm hungry." He whined.  
  
"Well, breakfast is ready." Petunia consoled him, steeling herself against the impending tantrum as Harry put the food on their plates. One pancake each and a quarter of a grapefruit each. Harry sat down across from Dudley and waited for his uncle to come in.  
  
"I want MORE!" Dudley yelled.  
  
Petunia sighed under her breath, "Remember what the doctor said." She reminded him, "No exceptions."  
  
"But- but-" Dudley was about to fake tears.  
  
"Come on Petunia, he's been on this diet for a month and I'm rather proud of him. Give him some more." Vernon Dursley came striding into the room.  
  
"I don't have any more food prepared." Petunia reasoned.  
  
"The boy can cook it while we are eating breakfast."  
  
"Then when will he eat?" Petunia asked.  
  
Vernon looked as if he hadn't expected that question, he hadn't even considered it an issue. "After breakfast."  
  
"No. I have gardening that needs to be done before noon." Harry seemed to be oblivious to the conversation that was taking place above him.  
  
"Why does he need to eat at all?"  
  
"He needs to keep his strength up for gardening, it must be perfect before Yvonne arrives." Vernon looked at her oddly by his mind couldn't come up with a counter argument and the issue was dropped. Dudley wasn't going to concede defeat that easily, though.  
  
"I want more!" It took all of Petunia's control to not yell at her son to shut up. Instead she adopted a more controlled approach.  
  
"We don't have more Duddykins."  
  
"I want his then." He mock wailed as he pointed to Harry's plate. Petunia, of course, had done all she could, but gave in to her son's tantrum and ordered Harry to give Dudley his pancake. This was another cause to worry her about her nephew. Normally, Harry would have anticipated this and eaten all of his food already, but instead, he sat around pushing absently at his apple with a fork.  
  
Breakfast was a relatively normal affair after that. Vernon talked about the new shipment of deals that was made, Petunia gossiped about the how the daughter of their neighbor eloped overnight, and Harry slowly chewed his apple. Vernon left for work and Dudley left to find his friends to play with while Petunia ordered Harry to clear the table.  
  
Harry was almost finished when his aunt gave him an orange. "Eat." She ordered. "Don't look at me like that, I don't want you to still be in the garden by the time Yvonne arrives." He finished the orange quickly while he wondered why his aunt was doing this for him. Why was she being nice to him?  
  
"Thank you." He said softly.  
  
His aunt turned away in disgust. Though he didn't realize it, the disgust wasn't at Harry, but at the situation itself. There should've never been a question as to whether he should eat or not. It was too late to change things, though. Her world spiraled out of her control far too long ago.  
  
The rest of the day continued as normal. She gossiped with Yvonne, cleaned the house, made lunch and dinner, ordered Harry around, watched the news, and went to bed. All in all it was, with the exception of a few odd occurrences, a normal day for Petunia Dursley.  
  
A normal night for Violet Verlane, however, was much much different. 


End file.
